Vintage wanna be clone ~

Here's another case of either the seller is FOS or they don't know what they have. Either way, I emailed the seller and got back the below response, proving it's a VS ...Yeah hello~~~

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130423084567&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:MOTORS:1123

Thank you for your inquiry on the Replica/Kit Porchse. I have looked through my clients paperwork and it was indeed built by Vintage Speedsters. The top and interior are not the proper color for the color the client wanted was unavailable at the time. I do have all paper work and documents to confirm what I have allegated that being a Vintage Speedseter. Thanks.

Cummon' Al! That's a $26K CMC Vintage Speedster....

....and the durn license plate is crooked too.

Looks like a CMC to me

Looks like a CMC to me, too...

Some nice touches, to be sure, but not a Vintage.

How can y'all tell those things? Other than the door panels not looking like the ones on their web site (could be swapped,) what are the tip-offs?

Is a Vintage any better/worse/different than a CMC?

I'm impressed that you can tell the difference at a glance.

Thanks,

The dash is very different, with the CMC a bit more original. Also the engine compartment is different. The quality of Vintages is generally consistent and good, while the quality of CMCs is solely dependent on the work put into it by the builder. Alan Merklin has produced some beautiful CMC-based cars, but they took a great deal of re-engineering. I have seen other CMCs (aka Streetbeasts or Fiberfabs) that were gorgeous, and others that were, um, kinda nasty.

I also emailed this guy back in July when he first had it listed and he told me the kit was purchased in California and assembled in Florida.

not a Vintage...that's for sure...

So no real difference other than the trim and engine compartment details? Nothing structural or anything like that, mostly the differences are a result of the Vintage being assembled by experts and the CMC mostly being assembled then re-assembled by the current buyer/owner?

Is it true that all of the speedster bodies, throughout the history of the "kit" are based off of a single original car. I "heard" that and it really seems cool, like the inhabitants of certain villages in Ireland all sharing a piece of the same DNA and similar traits from a single pairing.

I KNOW that I got someone else's nose here, it don't fit my face worth a damn . . .

Here's what I have been told and surmised. There may be some inaccuracies.

Fiberfab/CMC/Streetbeast cars are based off of the original IM, as I think Henry's father sold Fiberfab his first molds. IM has since created new molds. Beck uses their own molds as well, original source unknown. Vintage and JPS use bodies from the same supplier (I think) and the story goes that they were splashed from a Speedster that had some not-quite-correct body repair as one part of the passenger-side fender sticks out a bit. Kind of an interesting beauty mark.

More knowledgable folks can correct an errors contained herein. Your mileage may vary.

Alan nailed it--that there ain't no VS. The dash is wrong (for a VS) and so are the door panels. The engine is not as originally fdone by Vintage---missing the curleyque red alternator wire and has Webers rather than the usually installed Kadrons.

I have heard the same thing about all the cars coming from the same mold and that the shells come from Mexico. I never heard the entire story about this. I believe IM does their own---or sources them from a different place.

One strange thing about a Vintsge that is a sure tell, is that the panel at the bottom of the passenger side fender---in front of the front wheel, is bent out and not exactly straight with the rest of the side of the car. I heard this was because the original mold was pulled from a car that was damaged then not repaired correctly. You might never see this bent panel and I didn't ever see it on mine until it was pointed out to me---after that it is un mistakable.

I wonder why this was never fixed after it was discovered? Has it now been corrected---any of you with newer Vintage cars?

Whatever---this is a good looking car.

You guys are really getting spot on with your manufacture details.
I believe that the VS wheel wheel lips have a thicker fiberglass edge and there are other suttle, but positive differences too. ~Alan

How cool is all that ? ! ? !

Thanks for all of the info, guys!

You're an evil, twisted man, Greg. I like that.

Ya forgot the tell-tale Hibachi cast aluminum grill! (Vintage grill and original are individual strips and mounting opening is 1/4" larger on Vintage). CMC regular bodies came with a "SPEEDSTER" logo hood handle ornament. They all came with a gold and black lettered body serial number plated (stamped with actual number that matched Certificate of Origin # - which owner could apply). My CMC wheel arch edges are like 1/4+ inch - I've been sanding them for more wheel clearance and for them to look more like rolled metal. Glad it isn't thicker!

I'm adding the prancing bull IM hood crest and the red curly alternator wire to my CMC - just to confuse folks.